Jesus Prays for His Disciples

6 “I have made you known to those you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me. They have obeyed your word, 7 and now they know that everything you gave me comes from you. 8 I gave them the message that you gave me, and they received it; they know that it is true that I came from you, and they believe that you sent me.”

In the opening verses of John 17, Jesus addresses his Father and talks to him about his purpose-driven life. Beginning in verse 6, Jesus prays about and for his disciples, his friends. He came to reveal the Father to them—and to us. He said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Jesus had the very nature, the very DNA of God. When we believe, we are born again, regenerated, re-GENE-rated. Jesus takes away our sins, but he also gives us his sinless nature. Paul writes in Galatians, You were baptized into union with Christ, and now you are clothed, so to speak, with the life of Christ himself (Galatians 3:27).
Everything and everyone belongs to God, and Jesus acknowledges to his Father that his relationships are not random, that God has brought his disciples into his life. Everything, he prays, comes from you, and the disciples understood that what Jesus told them came from the Father. So they accepted it. They submitted themselves to the words of God, and their lives were transformed. Followers of Christ know with certainty that God sent him, so they take Jesus’ life and teaching seriously.

Prayer

Timeless God, you sent your Son, Jesus, into time and space. You did this to reveal yourself and your ways to us. You’ve given us Jesus. You’ve given us new life, abundant life, eternal life. Like Jesus, we want to accept and obey your Word. We know that without the perspective and guidance of the Holy Bible, our lives are misdirected, lost. We depend on you and trust what you tell us. Because Jesus is in us, we know you, and to know you is life. Amen.

Going Deeper

Was anything in the life of Christ random? Without purpose? Do you believe anything in your life is random, purposeless? Sometimes it feels that way! How can you be transformed by anchoring your thoughts and actions in an eternal God who has known you from before the Creation? How can that transformation impact your relationships?